


The M Word

by canufeelthemagictonight



Series: The Hogwarts Escape the Night AU [2]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Bigotry & Prejudice, Friendship, Gen, Half-Blood Safiya Nygaard, I'm totally going to go deeper into this AU and you can't stop me, Loyalty, MRS is an awesome trio, Mudblood, Muggle-Born Matthew Patrick, Pureblood Rosanna Pansino, Ro is too precious for this world, it's basically wizard racism tbh, they're all eleven years old
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-15 10:56:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16061678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/canufeelthemagictonight/pseuds/canufeelthemagictonight
Summary: Rosanna always hated that word.A little pureblood Hufflepuff and her friends encounter magical racism for the first time.An Escape the Night AU.





	The M Word

**Author's Note:**

> You guys liked the Sorting fic, so consider this a spinoff.

Rosanna always hated that word. It sounded _wrong_ on people's lips, like a slimy, revolting slug slithering out of their mouths. Before Hogwarts, it didn't come into her life often, since the Pansinos were one of the most accepting pureblood families in the Wizarding World, but on the rare occasions when she _did_ hear it, it scared her. _Why do people think like that?_ she'd wonder. _Why do they hate people who've done nothing to them?_

Then, she boarded the Hogwarts Express, and she encountered a boy named Matt, and it felt like she had known him all her life. Even after they were Sorted into different houses (she into Hufflepuff, he into Ravenclaw), they've remained friends, in part because of the Potions class that the two Houses share. Matt's fellow Ravenclaw, Safiya, joined their little group a week into their first year. Now, together, they are unstoppable.

But there are bullies. One October day, the bullies cross their path.

The three of them are walking to the Great Hall when Matt spots a group of older boys defacing a wall with magical graffiti. "Hey, stop that," he calls to them, almost automatically.

"Yeah," says Safiya. "That's not cool, guys."

The boys look up from their vandalism, notice the group, and zero in on Matt. "You have no _right_ to tell us what to do," the largest one sneers. "Your kind don't belong here."

Matt raises an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what?" He sounds genuinely confused.

"Matt, Saf, let's go," whimpers Rosanna, tugging on their sleeves. A part of her already knows what's coming. "We need to go."

The bully either doesn't hear her or doesn't care. "You heard me," he growls at Matt. "You stole magic, and now you want to act like the rule police?" He snorts. "Get out of my sight, you filthy Mudblood, before I bash your head in."

 _Mudblood._ The word repeats itself inside Rosanna's head. _He just called Matt "Mudblood."_

She bursts into tears.

"Ro, what's wrong?" asks Matt, who still doesn't seem to understand what's happening.

Safiya silently pulls out her wand. Her face is blank and expressionless, but white-hot fury flickers in her eyes. _"Langlock,"_ she hisses. The bully's tongue glues itself to the roof of his mouth. He tries to speak, fails, and runs away, his frightened cronies in tow.

"Nice one, Saf," says Matt with a smile. "I didn't even know you _knew_ that curse. It's very uncommon." He turns back to Rosanna, who's still sobbing. "Seriously, Ro, are you okay? You _know_ they weren't being serious about the whole 'bashing my head in' thing."

"It's not that." Rosanna envies him for his ignorance. "He called you..." She can't bring herself to repeat it.

Matt frowns. "Mudblood? What, is that a bad word? I thought it was just a typical insult around here."

"It's not," says Safiya sadly. "It's an awful, terrible name for someone like you. Someone whose parents are Muggles. They think that you're less than them, and that you don't deserve to be _alive,_ let alone practice magic." She sighs. "There are some very narrow-minded people in this world."

Rosanna throws her arms around Matt, partly to comfort him, and partly to comfort herself. He hugs her back, his shoulders shaking. Safiya seems nervous to join the hug, but eventually, she does, and three small eleven-year-olds cling to each other, as if they're enough to protect each other from the danger that lingers in people's hearts.

Finally, they break apart. "It's okay," says Matt, but the tremor in his voice tells Rosanna that it isn't _really_ okay. "Better me than someone else who can't protect themselves."

"They're _wrong,"_ Rosanna sniffles. "You're smart, and you're brave, and you're kind, and you deserve to be here. Don't forget that, okay?"

"I won't," Matt promises her.

A pureblood, a half-blood, and a Muggle-born continue their trek to the Great Hall. They don't know what the next seven years have in store for them, but whatever happens, they know that they'll face it together.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I've figured out what everyone else's blood statuses are in this AU as well. I might reveal some in the comments, if you ask.


End file.
